


The Chains of Damnation

by moondaisie



Category: World of Warcraft
Genre: M/M, Patch 9.1 Spoilers, World of Warcraft: Shadowlands Spoilers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-20
Updated: 2021-02-20
Packaged: 2021-03-16 10:22:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,268
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29574558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moondaisie/pseuds/moondaisie
Summary: SPOILERS FOR PATCH 9.1: THE CHAINS OF DAMNATION CINEMATIC.  Horace is reunited with Anduin in the Shadowlands.  Or so he thinks.
Relationships: Anduin Wrynn/OMC
Kudos: 9





	The Chains of Damnation

**Author's Note:**

> BOY HOWDY THAT WAS SURE SOME CINEMATIC HUH  
> edit 2/22: fixed some typos and inconsistencies.

“You’re becoming quite adept at this, Maw Walker.”

Horace shrugged, scratching under the bird-like creature under its chin. “They’re not too different from the gryphons back on Azeroth.” He passed the reins to Pelagos, who guided it into an empty stall and shut the door.

“It would be nice to see this ‘Azeroth’ someday,” Pelagos replied. “Kleia does not wish to speak of her time there.”

“Uh… yeah, that’s… it was a tricky situation. But, don’t soulbinds have all of each other’s memories?”

“Of our past lives, yes, and of our memories since arriving in Bastion. I felt everything she felt on that day, but I could not see through her eyes. I wouldn’t, though, even if I could--it’s not proper.” He frowned, lost in thought for a moment, then decided, “I’m sure she’ll tell me when she’s ready.”

The incoming flutter of wings alerted them to an ascended approaching from above. “Speak of the devil,” Horace remarked.

Pelagos looked perplexed, then affronted. “Kleia is not a _devil_!” he squawked indignantly.

“Figure of speech, buddy,” he assured him, tapping the side of his nose.

“Oh! Well, that’s certainly an interesting figure of speech.”

Kleia landed directly in front of him, her face alight and eyes wide and shining. “Horace! I’m so glad I found you,” she exclaimed.

“What’s going on?” he asked, stomach lurching expectantly despite her sunny smile.

“Your partner is _here_ , in the Hold! He said he escaped the Jailor several nights ago.”

His breath caught in his throat. _By the Light,_ how _?_... “Wh--What-- Where is he? Is he alright?”

“He’s been granted an audience with the Archon. It was strange, though. He didn’t ask about you. He immediately wanted to see the Archon.”

There could be a million different reasons why he didn’t ask about Horace. “Maybe he doesn’t know I’m here,” he suggested. But something didn’t sit quite well with him about that. 

He shook his head. It didn’t matter. Anduin was here, and alive, and they were finally, _finally_ going to be reunited. He turned and broke into a dead run in the direction of the seat.

Kleia flanked him, Pelagos right by her side as usual. He barely noticed them, willing his feet to move faster. He shoved his way through a crowd of aspirants and couldn’t bring himself to care a lick about apologizing, because Anduin was here! And alive! And they were going to defeat the Jailor together and go back to Azeroth and everything, for once, would be okay, and he could finally--

He saw the Archon’s statue fall. Every muscle in his body seized, and he came to a screeching halt, frozen for several long, breathless moments, while every one of his hopes fell, too, as inky blackness spiraled out from the Seat of the Archon.

“The Archon!” Kleia cried.

“No…” he whispered, voice trembling and thin. “No, Light, please.”

“We have to hurry!” she called. “ _Maw Walker,_ we have to hurry!”

He snapped out of his reverie and turned to gaze at her, then back at the hold, and spurred himself back into action.

They were greeted with chaos. Aspirants and ascended alike swarmed the Seat of the Archon but could not get in, blocked by a wall of mawsworn energy. The polemarch and all of the paragons were in chains on the ground. Kleia picked both him and Pelagos up and took to the skies, circling around until she found an entry point and dove for the dias. Horace didn’t even wait to land before he launched himself from her arms, staggering before he found his balance and bolting to the seat.

The tall, pale, plate-clad figure that knelt with his back to the Kyrians hadn’t thought to put a barrier on the sides of the seat, as well. Horace would have known who that figure was no matter how many foul magics wrapped themselves around him. He charged up the stairs, stopping just yards from him, sword and shield limp in his hands.

“ _Anduin_!” he screamed.

The figure stood, wrenching a rune-etched blue sword-- _Light, that’s Shaylamane_ \--out of the Archon’s chest, and slowly turned his head to face Horace. All his face was a ghastly, faded purple bruise, eyes sunken and still blue but the wrong hue, icy and pale, not the bright and warm Horace knew, and they glowed like a death knight’s and there was no emotion in then, they were just _dead_.

A choking, anguished sob escaped him, and he cursed, over and over and over, before finally gasping out his name again. “I’m so sorry; I’m so sorry I couldn’t get to you before they did this to you. But you have to fight it! Please, I know you can!”

Anduin-Not-Anduin’s grip on his sword tightened, gaze narrowing. Then it loosened, and for a brief, beautiful moment, the glow faded, and his eyes went wide. “Horace?”

He blinked away the tears blurring his vision. “Yes, yes, it’s me! Keep fighting it, I’ll find a way to help you, I promise, just hold on--”

The runes on Anduin’s armor glowed bright. The eerie mist of undeath returned to his eyes. His face hardened. Horace’s heart broke.

Before he was aware of what was going on, he was launched backwards, slamming into the stairs and tumbling down to the landing below. He groaned, head spinning. His sword and shield were out of reach. He forced himself to move, to crawl over to them, and managed to get to his shield and summon the Light just in time for Anduin-Not-Anduin to slam Shaylamane down on him.

He rolled out of the way and onto his feet only to be sent flying once more. The air left his lungs upon impact, leaving him unable to breathe or think or do anything but watch in horror as whatever malevolent force possessed his partner’s body and suppressed his soul advanced.

Pelagos fired a barrage of spells at Anduin-Not-Anduin from where the Archon lay above while Kleia swooped in and back him back with her spear, giving Horace enough time to regain his footing and wait until he was finally able to inhale again, chest heaving as he fought not to lose consciousness.

“I love you, Anduin; I’m not giving up on you,” he cried. The words made his chest convulse and he coughed and tasted blood, hot and metallic in the back of his mouth. He spat it onto the metal floor. “I know you’re still in there. I know you can still hear me.”

Anduin-Not-Anduin conjured chains with a wave of his hand that bound Pelagos and Kleia in an instant, forcing them to the ground. Those vacant eyes did not leave Horace’s desperate gaze, did not blink, as he walked slowly forward. An armored hand shot out and grabbed his hair. He let out a cry as the vice grip yanked his head back. And then the corner of Anduin-Not-Anduin’s mouth rose in a sinister, inquisitive smile.

“Now _this_ is interesting. A little something to keep your bed warm, Anduin?”

It was his voice but it wasn’t him talking and Horace had to fight the urge to be sick at the sound of it.

He leaned forward, eyes glinting. “I will be saving you… for last.”

He cast Horace to the side with strength Anduin has never possessed before. Horace felt and heard a horrible popping sound in his shoulder upon landing but didn’t move, just lay there, as Anduin turned away from him, Shaylamane in hand and stained with the blood of the Archon, waved a portal into existence, and disappeared.

**Author's Note:**

> *holds up my first warcraft-related fic in five months like rafiki from the lion king*  
> i do intend to update "it's the end of the world as we know it" very soon, apologies for the long hiatus. i had so much stuff to do for school and i still do, but now my life is also a living hell because of school and the passing of a family member and my usual mental health issues so i decided i wanted to dive back in to the totally righteous series to give myself something fun to do. plus, i really missed these characters.


End file.
